Aeroflot's leading position in global aviation was affirmed this weekend when it took two top prizes at the Grand Final of the World Travel Awards 2018 - World's Leading Airline Brand and World's Leading Airline - Business Class.

Aeroflot maintained its status as the No. 1 brand in global aviation for a second year in a row, remaining the only holder of this title from the World Travel Awards in history. Aeroflot took the World's Leading Airline - Business Class category for the first time.

The World Travel Awards are known as the Oscars of the travel industry. The awards are given every year to leading tour operators, hotels and airlines. Throughout the year the awards are given at three levels: country, regional and global levels. Winners are decided by an online vote that attracts hundreds of thousands of travel professionals and millions of travellers. Key criteria are product quality and quality of service. The WTA Grand Final gala ceremony took place on 1 December in Lisbon, one of the world's oldest capitals and one of Aeroflot's most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

"Our two gold medals at the World Travel Awards are a clear indicator of our leading position in the global aviation industry," said Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev. "Our focus on maintaining the youngest fleet, sustainably developing our route network, providing premium service and leveraging digital technologies is the key to our success in the international arena."

Earlier this year, Aeroflot won three key categories at the regional World Travel Awards for Europe: Europe's Leading Airline Brand, Europe's Leading Airline - Business Class and Europe's Leading Airline to Asia (for a top airline in Europe-Asia transit).

About Aeroflot

Aeroflot is Russia's flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot serves 152 destinations in 55 countries.

Aeroflot's 251-strong fleet is theyoungest of any airline worldwide that operates more than 100 aircraft. In 2017, Aeroflot carried 32.8 million passengers (50.1 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

Aeroflot holds 4-Star Airline status from Skytrax and was named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the seventh time at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Aeroflot has also been awarded a five-star global airline rating by US aviation association APEX.

Aeroflot is the world's strongest airline brand according to leading brand strategy consultancy Brand Finance.